Super Easy Science: How to Grow Wheatgrass on Water Beads

Are you a gardener? I live in awe of you. My black thumb is especially talented. I can kill even the plants that the nursery says everyone can grow. So that’s why I have to share this science project – growing wheatgrass on water beads. Wheatgrass is soooo easy to grow, especially if you put the seeds on water beads. Plus, with water beads, the kids can see everything that’s going on from root to tip. Garden science in five days or less.

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Wheatgrass on Water Beads Supplies Needed

You don’t need much for this project. Plus you’ll get enough to share with your friends or to send home with your whole class full of kids.

How to Grow Wheatgrass on Water Beads

Pour some water beads into your vase and add water to about 2/3 full. It takes way fewer than you think! My 6″ x 6″ x 6″ vase only needed about a teaspoon of beads. Let them sit for 4-6 hours. If they seem to have run out of water, add more and let them expand until they stop growing. Then drain off remaining water.

Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of wheatgrass seeds on top of the water beads. Place in a sunny spot and watch them grow. And admire how beautiful the grass looks in the vase :)

Wheatgrass is the instant gratification vegetation of the plant world. You’ll see it sprouting in a day, roots popping in two and grass shoots coming out in three. This fully grown vase full of wheat grass only took five days, definitely fast enough to keep the kids’ attention.

To help kids quantify the growth process, you can mark the height of the grass each day on the vase. It’s a perfect chance to get out the ruler and teach some math skills, too.

And let’s not forget to talk about the life cycle of a plant. This fast-paced gardening project is a great tool for talking about the stages in a plant’s life from seed to germination to pollination in flowering plants. I love these books that help tell the story of a plant’s life {affiliate links for your convenience}.

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28 Days of STEAM – More Learning Fun!

This project is part of an amazing, month-long series of hands on STEAM projects for kids. Click on over to 28 Days of STEAM for 60+ FREE science, tech, engineering, art, and math projects from 30+ education writers. All ready to get your kids excited to learn.